Night Breeze
by Thorn In Your Side
Summary: AU THIS IS NOT A HAPPY STORY. Sasuke is brought to the hospital, hurt and bleeding. He did this to himself. Sakura saves his life, but can Naruto save his soul? NaruSasu.
1. The Vulgarian Noise

Night Breeze

**Night Breeze**

**Disclaimer: Le Gasp! I own not Naruto!**

**Summary: AU this is not a happy story. Sasuke is admitted in the hospital, bleeding, dying. He did this to himself. Sakura saves his life—can Naruto save his soul? NaruSasu.**

**A/N: Um. In this story, Sasuke is eighteen-ish, Naruto is over twenty five, and yes, he's older than Itachi. Yeah. 'Cause I don't want to be bothered to specify…heh. Also, Sasuke's eyes are red. Because, you know, he can't have the sharingan in an AU, so I might as well give him cool colored eyes. **

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

_**December 31**__**st**_

The crimson eyes flashed with some sort of primeval joy as the sharp metal of the blade gleamed dully in the dark. The joy of pain, of knowing that in your hand rests a weapon capable of harm. Alabaster skin gleamed too, a little softer than the sheen of the knife in the buttery moonlight. He traced his veins lovingly, and then placed the flat edge of the blade against his skin, hissing at the cool.

Well. There was no point in dallying. The boyling turned the kitchen utensil over until the sharper edge was poised over his wrist, pressed in, and dragged down.

Pain. Fresh and clean and sending a tremor of arousal through his body. But no blood. Perfect pink lips parted in a scowl, and he pressed deeper, harder, dragged down towards his elbow again and managed to nick himself. A bead of blood pooled about an inch left of his vein, and he wiped it off, the scowl deepening. Rising from the soft, warm bed, he made his way on socked feet out of his room, past his brother's, past his parents', downstairs, quietly, to the kitchen…and slid out a crude butchering cleaver. Wistfully, he fingered the delicately shaped, ebony handled vegetable cutter in his other hand—but if it wasn't going to cut his skin, then the cleaver would.

Either that or chop his hand off, and then he could wander the underworld minus one rather dear part of his body. He vaguely wondered if he could learn to type one-handed, and then mentally slapped himself.

Focus.

Back, retracing his steps…back, past his parents' room, past his brother's, into his own. The blade gleamed once more under the moon of winter. The digital alarm beeped midnight, and he imagined he heard the roar of people world wide bringing in the next twelve months of their lives.

"Happy New Year, Sasuke," he whispered to himself, and then metal made contact with skin.

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Itachi stumbled into the house a little past midnight, drunk and _**shockingly**_ single. Not that he seemed to notice, of course…

"So, baby, you wanna hear something cool about me? I'm like a Rubix cube. The longer you play with me, the harder I get," the once dignified twenty one year old sniggered to thin air, having spent the better part of the night celebrating his right to consume alcohol. He opened the door to what he thought was his room and fell onto his bed, and then turned for his girl, only to find the room empty.

"That's weird," he mumbled, "I could've sworn she was with me until…until…we got in my car, right?"

Something groaned weakly beneath him, and what he had taken to be a pile of his clothes opened a scarlet eye and glared at him.

"You dumbfuck, nii-san, get out, I'm trying to die," his otouto croaked. Itachi finally noticed the red that must have once mirrored the color of Sasuke's eyes, and was damp and crusting into a rusty brown.

It's amazing how quickly one can get over the shaking effects of alcohol when faced with the fact that their younger sibling is lying in a mess of blood and linen, bleeding to death.

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_**January 1**__**st**_

"Sakura-san!" Lee huffed, running into the lounge, "We have an emergency!"

"Coming," she said automatically, following him at a running pace to the E.R., "What happened? Car crash?"

"Suicide attempt," the man replied grimly, and the rosette blanched.

"Alert Naruto," Sakura ordered, "He's asleep on the third floor." She burst into the room, where a pale, shattered looking young man held the hand of an even younger man, a mere boy of no more than eighteen. Her breath hitched at the sight: the blood on his wrist, clashing with his ivory skin, his obsidian hair.

"Hook him on the life support system," she barked at the flustered looking nurse, "Get me blood…two, three units. What's his type?" she directed the question in a slightly softer tone towards the man.

"B positive," he replied in a dull voice, "Is he…"

"We'll take care of him," she said, "You need to fill out some forms, and answer some questions, and maybe call your parents?"

"They're on their way," he said in the same monotone, not questioning that she had guessed that they were siblings. The appearances indicated close kinship. "His name's Sasuke," he added, as an afterthought, "In case he wakes up…that's what you should call him. Not mister, he hates that."

"I'll remember," she flashed him a brief smile before disappearing behind a set of doors. Itachi put his head in his hands, and let the tears fall.

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A warm hand on his shoulder made him look up, into the bluest eyes he'd ever seen, full of compassion and understanding and a fierce determination to fix everything wrong with the world. "What's your name?" he asked, and the voice was kinder than anything Itachi could bear right now. He ducked his head again. "U-Uchiha. Uchiha Itachi."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Psychologist. I'd like to talk to you about your brother, Itachi."

"Yeah," the male nodded.

"Is there any violence at home?" the blond asked bluntly. Itachi recoiled from his words. "No!"

"Are your parents happy? Has he recently been through any trauma? A death of a family member, a perceived failure?"

"No. No, no. Not that I'm aware of," Itachi said bitterly, loathe to think that he hadn't known what was _**really**_ going on in his little brother's head.

"Has there been sexual abuse?" the Uchiha really did flinch away from the Uzumaki this time, as he realized the point of the questions. _What on earth have you done to this person?_

"No," he whispered, just about managing to sound firm.

Naruto nodded, and put a sympathetic hand on the younger man's shoulder again. "Hang in there," he murmured, "It's going to be alright. Doctor Sakura is excellent."

"The pink haired girl? I could tell. She's got this air around her…like she knew he'd be okay. But...she can fix his body. What about his soul?" Itachi looked into the sky blue irises again, "Can you fix his soul?"

"I'm gonna need your help with that," Naruto smiled, leaving out the fact that he didn't believe in souls. You were born, you lived, and you died. That was it.

The alabaster skinned beauty sighed suddenly. "Sasuke…"

Naruto looked toward the room where Sakura would be saving the boy's life. Sasuke. A name that meant assistance, help. A strong name, a name for a pillar of durability. How had that pillar weakened to the point of collapse?

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

**Warning: Character Death. **

**XD this is my first attempt at real tragedy, down in the dumps, boo hoo story. The Itachi-Shisui one didn't count cuz…you know. It was about friendship! –waves arms wildly as though it explains everything-**


	2. See You Under a Firework

Night Breeze

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto!**

**A/N: -scowls- this turned out to be a multi-chapter story after all…damn it. I wanted this to be a one-shot, but it was just too long! **

**-grumbles to self-**

**Ahem. Moving on. I present to you: Chapter Two!**

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

Sasuke swam sluggishly towards consciousness. He could sense it—the feel of thought, the feel of self. So there was an afterworld after all. He wondered what it would be like. Had he gotten into heaven? Maybe he'd gone to hell. The boy didn't think he qualified for either of them. He wasn't evil, but hadn't been particularly benign either. For a while, he fretted over his fate, then broke the surface of the dark pool he'd gone into a few minutes after slitting his wrist.

Hmmm. Neon lights, people in white, voices barking orders, and a warm bed beneath him.

Somehow, Sasuke doubted that he'd died.

A pink haired woman stood threateningly over him, blurring into focus. She wore a fatigued expression and a relieved smile.

"You gave us quite a scare, you know," she chuckled, "I thought you were comatose for a minute there…and then you woke up, just as you pleased, Sasuke."

He sighed and closed his eyes again, struggling to find his voice. Sakura observed him curiously. Suicide attempts were uncommon in the remote town of Konohagakure, but the few she'd dealt with before were just as relieved to be alive as she was to have saved their lives. This one seemed almost…disappointed?

"Any chance that this is the afterworld?" he whispered softly, a tinge of hope in his voice. He opened an eye to look at her, and she shook her head. "Haruno Hospital," she said.

"Damn."

Sakura frowned and bit back a rebuke. This kid's mental health and attitude wasn't her problem. It was his body that concerned her. She turned away from him to check his stats, but was unable to suppress a sentence she knew she had no right to utter.

"Your parents and your brother are outside, worried sick."

"Don't let them in. I have the right to refuse to see them, right?"

The doctor swallowed her indignant retort. What a brat! His parents had had no clue that he was even depressed, and here he wasn't even going to allow them to talk to him!

"Yeah," she said curtly, walking out.

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Sasuke lay in bed, stewing in his thoughts. Horror came to mind first. He'd failed. He wasn't dead. His family knew he'd tried to kill himself. He pushed the weight of that realization away, refusing to cope with it. _Why_? That was the next thought. _How?_ How had he been saved? It was New Year's, for crying out loud, his brother and parents had been out partying, assuming he'd be doing the same.

Oh. Yeah…a shadow of a memory drifted across his mind. His brother…he'd come home merely minutes after he'd taken the cleaver to his skin. Falling on him, smelling like a dozen different drinks. Sasuke groaned. Trust his aniki to pick such an inconvenient day to come home at a reasonable hour.

The door clicked, and a blond man in a white tee and dark jeans walked in, a sun kissed smile on his face. Sasuke eyed him warily. A psychiatrist, obviously. He wondered if he should bother lying, but somehow he doubted this guy would buy it. The electric blue eyes sparkled with the azure fires of the sky, and held empathy that ran deeper than the oceans.

"Uzumaki Naruto," he introduced himself, sticking out a hand. Sasuke looked away. "Nice to meet you," he said demurely, "Come to find out what's wrong with me?"

"Judgmental," Naruto tutted.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't you assume the same? I'm just being defensive because I'm too tired to take the offensive."

"I see," the blond murmured, walking over to him, fluffing his pillow. The red eyed boy caught a whiff of his scent—natural, woody, and…airy, somehow_. Frivolous_.

Sasuke closed his eyes and leaned back into the bed, wishing himself away, wishing himself into nonexistence. A panic rose at the base of his throat, desiring to vent itself in a scream, and he smothered it, mentally reciting one of his favorite poems.

_**Whose woods are these I think I know…**_

_**His house is in the village though.**_

_**He will not see me stopping here**_

_**To watch his woods fill up with snow…**_

"Nice poem," Naruto commented, and startled Sasuke into opening his eyes, for one wild moment thinking that he'd said the words out loud. But the man was holding up a piece of paper in his hands—a black Post-It, on which was written a haiku, in white marker. Sasuke let his eyelids fall over his irises again. Just his suicide note.

_**If I could will myself away, I would. **_

_**If I could wish myself to bits, I would.**_

_**But I can't; hence the knife.**_

"Yeah," Sasuke said faintly, "Thanks."

Naruto abruptly stuck a mirror in front of the boy. The black haired lad blinked in confusion, and his reflection blinked back.

"Do you think that that boy is handsome?" the blond asked. They both knew it was a cheesy thing to do, but Naruto hoped that he would play along. In his limited experience, direct questions tended to yield dishonest answers. This was a roundabout way of figuring out if the frail young thing suffered from insecurity or an inferiority complex. Another person would have immediately squealed and said "Are you insane, he's fucking hot!" Sasuke stared for a long time at the mirror, and then laughed mirthlessly. "Yeah," he allowed, "He's handsome. But the beauty's skin deep. And it's not his own, it's passed down from his parents. Whatever beauty is his own comes from his thoughts…they shine through his eyes."

"He's a good person, isn't he?" Naruto said quietly, watching him.

"Maybe. I just meant that his thoughts are beautiful. I don't know about him."

"What about _**you**_, Sasuke?"

The scarlet eyes flashed annoyance and amusement. "Don't fuck with me, I'm not a child. We _**are**_ talking about me."

A grin burst through the serious face the blond had acquired over the last minute or so.

"I'll be back soon," he said, "Make yourself comfortable, you're likely to be here a week or so for rehab."

"Doctor?" Sasuke called out as the man reached for the doorknob, "I'm going to kill myself. You can't stop me, and I won't tell you why."

Naruto looked back over his shoulder, and winked at him. "That's what you think," he said, and left.

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"He's a brat."

"Sakura!"

The rosette stirred her coffee unrepentantly. "He's a brat. He doesn't care that he's hurting the people around him, he's selfish, he's only thinking about some stupid teen angst that he feels enough to end his life over. He's a brat."

Naruto shoved her playfully. "Maybe it's not teen angst. Maybe his family did abuse him."

Lee snorted. "Naruto, did you even _**see **_them? Did you see the brother? It was as though a part of him died. That family cares about its children."

"Maybe too much? Maybe there's pressure on him to perform well? A brother as achieved as that, maybe he has to vie for attention?" the blond theorized.

Sakura sat down next to her boyfriend, letting him steal the first sip of her beverage. "He's a brat," she said obstinately to her best friend, "Naruto, I dunno what he said to you, but I think he's a brat."

A fair haired nurse burst into the lounge, out of breath. "Sakura-san! The suicide patient—he cut himself again!"

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

**Hm. I like cliffhangers. Sadistic bitch? I like to think engaging authoress. **


	3. For the Sake of Revenge Lead us To Death

Night Breeze

**Night Breeze**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't Naruto. So bite me!**

**A/N: No, I don't know why I'm using Bleach chapter titles. I like them, is all. **

**Chapter Three: For The Sake of Revenge, Lead Us to Death**

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

Naruto burst into the room a good ten seconds ahead of Sakura, who shot him a scathing look as she pushed past the frozen blond.

"Idiot," the rosette hissed, "Move aside!"

Sasuke smiled at them, but it wasn't a nice smile, more like a 'Goddamit-bitches' smile. "Goddammit, bitches," he groaned as Sakura grabbed his wrist and began daubing up the blood, Lee rushing in with a pouch of blood, "A few more minutes and I would've died…stupid nurse, coming in here!"

"Naruto! If you're not gonna help, get your sorry ass outta here!"

Coming to his senses, the psychiatrist hurried to fetch some warm wash cloths dipped in water, to soothe the cut skin.

"He's cut really deep!" Lee yelled, "I'll go get the sutures, this'll need stitches!"

"Waste of time," the raven murmured, "I'll just have to try again…"

"You won't get the opportunity, believe me," snarled a dark haired man, clearly an Uchiha, who stood in the doorway. Sasuke glanced up, then shut his eyes firmly, flinching away as though struck. Naruto instinctively stepped between father and son, but Fugaku didn't come closer.

"Your mother," he said in a shaky voice, "Has been at the shrine, praying for your safety. Your brother is speechless with concern. Your family, your friends—they are crying over your pain, these people, they are trying to heal you, and how do you react? You tell them you will have to try again?"

"I'm not listening!" Sasuke screeched suddenly, wrenching his hand away from Sakura, throwing a pillow at his father, "I'm not listening, no! So shut the hell up, _**otou-san**_!"

Fugaku seemed to deflate, an expression of utmost disgust crawling onto his face, followed by disappointment and grief. "We're taking you home, Sasuke. You won't ever be left alone again," he informed the boy, walking away. Naruto ran after him.

"Sir! Excuse me…sir?"

The older man turned. "Yes?"

"I know its not really my place…oh who am I kidding? I think I'm entitled to a say in this, and I think your son should stay here, at least for a few more days. Please, I promise he won't be left alone, I promise he'll be safe," the blond said.

Fugaku studied him with a weary eye. "Fine."

Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

The man beckoned to him as he walked away. "Fine. Keep him. But you can tell my wife and son that, I sure as hell won't."

A little nervous, the doctor followed. There the two people stood; the finishing touches to the Uchiha family. Itachi held the mother close, murmuring words of comfort to the bereaved woman.

"Mikoto, Itachi," Fugaku called to them, "This doctor has something he wants to say to you."

Itachi looked up at the blond, and recognition sparked in his eyes. "Ah, the soul-saver. How is he?" the teasing tone was undermined by the raw worry, and Naruto almost rethought taking the boy away from his family for a moment longer—but it was for his own good.

"Mikoto-san, Itachi-kun. I think Sasuke should stay in the hospital for a few more days—"

"Are you insane?" the woman said in shrill voice, "My son tried to kill himself! He won't see me! And you want to keep him away from me for even longer?!"

Naruto's gaze bored into her. "Mikoto-san, I cannot imagine the pain you must be going through now. But please consider it—a few days now will save you a life time of sorrow. I believe Sasuke is hiding something from us, all of us. There is a reason he did what he did, and I would like to ask you to trust me to find it, please!"

Itachi hugged his mom again. "Okaa-san, I trust him."

Her eyes latched onto her husband's face, who nodded. She turned to the young doctor. "He still won't see us?" she whispered.

Naruto shook his head ruefully. She sighed deeply, the sigh of a mother's love gone unheeded, the echoes of untold words etched into it. "I will leave him here, then," she said, "But you must take good care of him."

"I will," Naruto promised.

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"Absolutely not!"

"It's not for free, I'll pay you!"

Lee glared at him incredulously. "You expect to bribe into buying you sleeping pills? Sasuke-kun, I think there's something just fundamentally wrong with you!"

"Of course there's something wrong with me, I'm trying to kill myself!" Sasuke growled, "Now will you or won't you get me the tablets!?"

"No!"

"You stupid son of a—"

"Having a nice time?" Naruto grinned foxily, waltzing in, "You won't mind if I interrupt, will you Lee?"

"He's all yours," the black eyed man muttered, storming out, "Insulting my character like that, as if I could be bribed!"

"Don't get a big head, moron!" Sasuke yelled after him, determined to have the last word. He turned to Naruto, red eyes flashing dangerously. "What do _**you**_ want?"

"If I said you, would you give it to me?" the blond asked cheekily.

"Oh shut up. One way or another, I will kill myself, so help me!"

"That's what I'm trying to do," Naruto pointed out. The raven growled ferally, and then fell silent, brooding. "I take it I won't be left alone then?"

"Nope, Lee, Sakura and I live in the hospital, so one of us will always be staying here with you."

"I sleepwalk," Sasuke said, "I attack people in my sleep. I molest them."

"That is not a problem," Naruto winked.

"Pervert," Sasuke scoffed, turning away. The sun kissed man walked over to him, stroking his hair. The younger boy flinched away from the contact, and Naruto stopped. "Tell me why," he whispered, "I won't tell anyone. I just think you need to talk…"

"I told you already," the Uchiha spat, "I will kill myself, and I won't tell you why!"

Blue eyes stared at the back of his skull until he could feel them burning a hole in his skin. He whipped around. "What!?" he screamed, "Leave me the fuck alone!" His voice was unexpectedly muffled in the fabric of the man's shirt, and strong, tan arms surrounded him protectively. Naruto inclined his head until his chin was nuzzling the Uchiha's hair. "I'm sorry" he said, "I just want to help you. There is nothing in this world worth killing yourself over."

"There's nothing worth living for, either."

"Your family isn't worth living for?"

"No. I don't really care about them," he said, looking up into those fathomless eyes, "I don't love them. They're nice people…but I only love them because they're my family. It's duty love."

"A girlfriend?"

"I'm gay."

"A boyfriend then," Naruto said, not skipping a beat.

"Don't have one. No one seems good enough for even a crush."

"Friends?"

"Same as with family. I love them because they love me, but it's not love, not really…it's a sense that I have to have friends to stop my family from worrying. It's a sense that…I need to be normal, to stop the world from worrying."

"A goal?"

"I have no goal."

"You're still young," the blond mumbled, "You can find something worthwhile…something you like to do."

"No," Sasuke said, wanting to pull away, but awfully content to be hugged by the man, "I don't…know. I…don't really feel it. Whatever pushes other people to live, to survive…I don't feel it. Life sucks. And then we die. So I want to die, and see if it's any better."

"And if its not?"

"Well, that kinda sucks even more. But at least I'll have done something new. At least, you know…I won't be alive for anyone to laugh at my mistake."

Naruto pulled away, or tried to, but Sasuke held on. "Unless it's freaking you out, don't," he whispered, "I like this."

The blond hugged him harder. "You," he chuckled, "Are a very attractive boy. You're too cute for your own good. What stops this from being teen depression?"

"Nothing. It probably is. But what's that got to do with anything?"

"It means that these feelings will probably pass. It means that you may regret your decision."

"I'm looking forward to it," Sasuke smirked. Naruto laughed, and pulled him closer.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**


	4. No One Stand on the Sky

Night Breeze

**Disclaimer: No, I don't Naruto. So bite me!**

**A/N: No, I don't know why I'm using Bleach chapter titles. I like them, is all. **

**Chapter Four: No One Stand on the Sky**

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

_**January 3**__**rd**_

Lee waited until the Uchiha's breathing was even before taking a potty break.

When he came back, he found the bed empty.

"Are you kidding me!?" he cursed, whipping out his cell phone, "Hello, Naruto? Your boyfriend's out of bed—okay, okay! He's not your boyfriend! But he's still out of bed. No, he's not in the room, I'm not stupid. Right. Got it."

He sat down on the guest's bed, and waited for Sasuke to be found.

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Naruto's feet pounded the floor, and the floor pounded back. He jogged down to lobby, having dispatched Sakura to the medicine store room and a few nurses to the other floors with the most potentially life-ending objects. No need to involve all the other doctors in the chase.

There he was…the raven was surveying the plan of the building in the grand room that served as a lobby, with a gaggle of little tots behind him.

"Sasuke!" Naruto gripped his arm, "You could've left a note!"

"Why bother? You were gonna come looking for me. And," Sasuke pointed, "Your fire escapes are faulty. The floor I'm on, for example…you'd be hard put to get people out alive during a fire."

Naruto glared at him. "I'll be sure to tell Sakura," he said, then glanced down, confused. "What's with all the ankle biters, then?"

"Don't look at me," the teen shrugged.

"He has pretty eyes," a soft spoken young girl of maybe ten said.

"He does, doesn't he? They're prettier when he's angry," Naruto smiled, "But no where near as pretty as you! What's your name?"

"L-Leiko," she stammered, blushing.

"Whatcha here for, Leiko?"

"They're here on a field trip, Naruto-san!" Hinata, the receptionist, called out, "Sasuke-kun was entertaining them, their teacher's taking a smoke."

"I'm sure Sasuke-kun is having a blast, but I'm gonna have to steal him back kids," Naruto said, guiding the boy away. The red eyed beauty waved to the children. "See ya round!"

"Bye, nii-chan!"

"Nii-chan," Naruto laughed, "You sure have a way with the kids, I see."

"Hn."

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_**January 5**__**th**_

"Naruto!" Sakura wailed into the phone, "He's gone _**again**_!"

"Check the lobby!" the blond ordered, rushing to the medicinal stores, "Check—oh bloody hell. Sakura, come to the first floor! We've got an emergency; he's taken a cocktail of a whole bunch of crap!"

"On it!" she barked and hung up.

He scooped the raven up, feeling his feebly beating heart. Feebly beating…fuck. Naruto didn't like to admit it, but he'd gotten far too attached to the boy. The sweat that dripped from his brow was proof of that, the way his own heart beat fast enough for both of them. He hoped against hope that the boy would live.

He stirred in his arms, and coughed a little. "Naruto…? Damn. Found me again…"

"Don't die!" Naruto snapped, "If you die! If you die, your parents will sue our asses! If you die, I'll lose face, I'll lose my job!"

Sasuke sighed. "Fine, I'll live," he said.

Sakura saved him, or so it seemed. "There's no way what I did was enough," she confided in Naruto, "Just no way. He puked up the stuff by his own volition. What'd you say to him?"

"Nothing," Naruto lied, "Nothing."

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"So we can take him home?"

"Yes," Naruto said, "But remember: remove the door to his room, and his bathroom. Hang curtains over the doorframes instead, always have someone in his room, even when he's bathing or crapping. The curtains will make sure that they can't see anything, but keep talking to him so you know what he's up to. I know it seems like a terrible invasion of privacy, but until he gets over this, there's nothing we can do. Importantly, at night, lock him in a room that can only be locked from the outside. Put someone inside with him, if possible."

Fugaku nodded stoically, Itachi listened, tight-lipped, and Mikoto stood about looking wretched.

Sasuke walked over to his family. Naruto refused to meet his gaze, and informed the Uchihas, "Don't force him into talking. Let him come to you if he feels like it."

"He's a genius, isn't he?" Sasuke remarked. Itachi placed a hand on his otouto's shoulder, but the boy shrugged it off. Naruto watched them go, wondering if he'd done the right thing.

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"It's Sasuke." Sakura's voice was grim. Naruto suspected the worst. As he was wheeled in, the blond paled. The sheer amount of blood on him was frightening.

"Will be okay?" he asked the rosette. She shook her head. "I don't know. I'm sorry."

Itachi came up behind him. Naruto turned the alabaster skinned boy. "I'm so sorry," he whispered brokenly, "I couldn't…"

"You tried," Itachi said, hugging him awkwardly, "And he left you this letter."

_**Now you won't lose your job, right? I'll remember you. **_

_**With what might've been love, Sasuke. **_

Naruto clutched the piece of paper and wept.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

**Sweet lords, that sucked. But I'm trying to just finish my stories…and now I have! And now I can start my original fiction! **


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